Martial arts action in which the paths taken by two students lead them to violent confrontation. In 1930s Japan, students Giryu (Akihito Yagi), Taikan (Tatsuya Naka) and Choei (Yuji Suzuki) are studying the defensive attributes of the martial arts under the guidance of their tutor, Eiken Shibahara (Shinya Ohwada). But the sudden arrival of local police force Captain Tanahara (Hakuryu) to evict the students quickly leads to confrontation, and in the ensuing battle, Giryu is left for dead. With his treacherous fellow student Taikan now siding with Tanahara, Giryu, helped by a local family, slowly fights his way back to fitness, ready for the day when he can face Taikan in a final decisive battle.